...As I will not have chance = non time to publish anything more until middle of March, this will be my last post until then, when I will add some thoughts about this edition of Tucson 2014 and few more images.

Barcelona 03/15/2014

Before posting some final thoughts about Tucson 2014 I will add something that would not have believed that I would publish myself because I'm somehow involved, but it seems that for some reason other FMFers not noticed it, so I will do it.

This is a very original and fun idea that John Medici had, taught for first time in the Main Show of this year. Unfortunately his idea was not so well shown due the type of show cases that the Main Show use and the lack of more appropriate light. I hope that in the future John be rewarded with better display conditions.

As the author of the idea is John and he has done all the work, what I'll do is just post the pictures and texts of its creation and I'll invite him to be himself who explains us as came up with the idea and how it developed.

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...Add to these many specimens of the winner of the Lidstrom award 2014, the Gail & Jim Spann's show case whose images I will publish in my next post.

Here them are, and I still have on mind some more great rocks from that show case, like a Veszelyite from Montana, a Covellite from Summitville, Colorado, a Manganite from Ilfeld, a Rhodochrosite from Sweet Home Mine, a very old classic Millerite from Antwerp, New York, a really serious violet Fluorapatite on matrix from Panasqueira Mine...

With this post and the last batch of images I finish my posts about Tucson 2014.

A so large show as Tucson inevitably involves many reflections about our hobby as it certainly is the major annual event of mineral collecting . I will try to create a compendium of the many conversations I've had with each other about the small changes that it seemed to see. In recent years much has been said about the upstroke of mineral prices and it was said that this race has impacted on a particular type of mineral, very aesthetic, very showy, reaching a kind of irrational prices due in part to the arrival at the hobby (many via Internet) of a large group of new wealthy collectors with moderate knowledge of the real price of the minerals. Well, true or not, has been a widespread view that most of these collectors are not more newer, they have learned quickly and the time to sell common minerals at prices of VERY uncommon minerals has changed. Please note that this does not mean that prices will go down, but the contrary, as there is less exceptional pieces that buyers willing to pay very well, these exceptional minerals will probably continue to be so expensive and desired as before, if not even more...
What we are talking about is that if the specimens are not REALLY exceptional, may no longer be sold at stratospheric prices as could happen in the last years, and that after a few years maybe a little bit crazy, the market and new collectors seem have reached a point of maturity that will allow, even with very high prices, a certain degree of rationality that perhaps may have lacked in previous years.

Summarizing, I believe is not expected to the mineral prices fall sharply, but some kind of minerals they could now appear as wholesale or similar, because although the number of collectors in USA continues being exceptionally high ( much higher than that of other countries) the desirable specimens for its rarity, quality, or specific findings/mines will be easily "digested " by the high number of collectors, but may not occur the same with specimens of medium quality, repetitive, or with damages, that should have to find its way through special offers and consequently cheaper prices than those paid before.

Nothing more, I hope you enjoy these latest pictures and I hope to see you again (or for first time) the next year in Tucson. Every collector should consider trying to attend at least one time to this mega-show. All said about mineral collecting is trivial compared to the brutal practice experience that Tucson signifies.
There is everything and there all makes sense.

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The city of Tucson welcomes you to the Main Show

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Social life on the Main Show

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Social life on the Main Show

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Social life on the Main Show

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I want this

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Yes, I want this!

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All American Rocks

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People in the Main Show: Jaroslav Hrsyl

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People in the Main Show: Mike Weise from Smithsonian

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Arizona State is over Centennial (1912-2012)

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Jordi Deusedes is so intense taking photos that he can't never stop, even at the end of the Show...

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...and one more!

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The sprinklers of the TCC-Inn Suites seem to have started just to say us goodbye...

...As the author of the idea is John and he has done all the work, what I'll do is just post the pictures and texts of its creation and I'll invite him to be himself who explains us as came up with the idea and how it developed.

Jordi, sorry for the delayed response; I'm very sporadic at my computer, and sometimes do not open it up for a week or two at a time.
I have an archive of early pictures of people, and many others taken at shows and in the field, including a few interesting wildlife ones. The early pictures idea was started some time ago, 20 years or so. My aunt was a photographer, and since she had no children herself, I was often the targeted subject. Maybe some of that wore off on me! Periodically, when I have thought of it, I have asked friends and acquaintances for such early pictures. I had over 100 such pictures and thought it would be fun to show some at the 60th Tucson show. I didn't think I had that many at first, so after counting, I asked Pete M. for a larger display case. The exact dimensions, which I thought I knew, having used such a case before, were not quite large enough for me to get the last upright poster board in (which unfortunately included our overseas guests and a couple of other well-knowns including Wendell Wilson). I will show a couple below.
I still welcome such pictures. The best ones are those that are somewhat difficult to recognize right away, age 1 to 10 or 12 years is often best. I ask that donors of pictures (yours or that of someone else) supply ones that they like themselves. Another category that I have occasionally been given is fun pictures of people disguised one way or another; a couple were included in the case at Tucson as examples. I did not mean to have the pictures broadcast through the internet but assumed that might happen, considering the circumstances, so I left out a few that were given to me with the assumption that they would be circulated sparingly among friends!

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Jordi Fabre (contrast photos)Jordi, you may censor if you like. The older picture is magnified to the point that it many be grainy as enlarged.

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Kirby & Edy SiberSiber & Siber had a very nice display of alpine minerals comemorating their 50th year of their Zurich business.

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Kirby has collected dinosaurs and fossil birds; it was nice to see some alpine minerals also!

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Collector's Edge also had a very nice 30th anniversary display at Tucson.

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And Congratulations to Bryan Lees on his well-deserved American Mineral Heritage award!

Well Jordi, i already expected that you once were a child - but i had no idea that you've also been a hippie ;-)

We all have a terrible past... ;-)

Jordi, from talking to you and what I read, your "terrible past" was quite interesting and exciting (excellent MR article on Panasqueira by you and Carles by the way!)(I'm so glad I got a lifetime membership to Mineralogical Record when it was offered many years ago!). At least you were on a collecting trip when the "extra hair" picture was taken (not a usual hippie pastime)._________________field collector

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